People who experienced sexual abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their first meeting with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, stated that the Pope's choice to meet with them so early in his papacy sent a strong message about his commitment to tackling the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Advocated
The organization is advocating for a global zero-tolerance policy that would defrock any priest who confesses to or is found guilty of abusing a child. This approach has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pontiff recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the world" to this initiative, according to Hickey.
"We were all being realistic when we recognized that there is pushback," they stated.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the position in spring, has inherited this longstanding issue that has plagued the Church for decades.
Previous efforts to resolve the problem included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to explicitly criminalize abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the drive for global implementation of the policy is deeply meaningful. The Canadian advocate revealed they were abused by a clergy member who was later transferred between different parishes.
"Hopefully this will set the tone for his papacy, because we want to work with him," they expressed. "We have the same goal, we seek to eliminate clergy abuse."
Significant Meeting
Multiple members of the coalition, which includes victims and supporters from more than 30 nations, engaged with the Pontiff in his official residence.
The discussion, initially planned for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "primarily heard to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the story of a female survivor victimized at a Catholic residential school for native youth in Canada.
They noted the Pope was "tender" about their personal experience and appeared "modest, funny, and approachable."
"Victims have consistently sought a seat at the table and I didn't perceive like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was sincere, practical, and very open and eager to work with us."
Canon Law Changes
The group is advocating that revisions to canon law will enable the implementation of the strict approach globally.
They have spoken with specialists and compiled documents that they will submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in reviewing it," they noted.
Responsibility Highlighted
A recently released Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the stepping down and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that survivors consistently emphasized the "critical requirement for bishops and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative shared they informed the pontiff at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, Hickey voiced optimism for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a relationship and continuing to strengthen that bond is a step in the correct path," Hickey commented.
Hickey concluded that they shared with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the story concludes - he appreciated that."
